ROCHELLE — Dixon Montgomery of Rochelle served the United States Army from 1969-1970 during the Vietnam War. 

After graduating from Rochelle Township High School, Montgomery was drafted into the U.S. Army in July 1969. He was sent to Fort Polk in Louisiana for basic training and spent eight weeks there in the middle of summer. After toting around a 40-pound rucksack and taking 3-4-mile-long marches, Montgomery decided he didn’t want to stay in infantry. 

At the end of his basic training, Montgomery was sent to Fort Knox in Kentucky for training as a tank gunner. He spent six months there and was then sent to Vietnam, and assigned as a tank gunner to A troop, first squadron, first armored cavalry with base camp in Chu Lai, Vietnam. Montgomery served there for a little over a year as a tank gunner and went on combat patrols around the area of Quang Nhong Province, which was right up close to the DMV in northern South Vietnam.

When Montgomery first joined the first cavalry, he was a tank gunner assistant and part of a four-man crew aboard a Sheridan tank, which were about three-fourths the size of the World War II M-1 tank. His responsibility was to load rounds into the tank’s main gun and reload the 30-caliber machine gun. After three months assisting, he moved over to the right-hand seat inside the tank where the tank gunner sat. 

“That is where the surreal part of Vietnam was, when I looked through the telescope out into woods and hills where people were shooting at us,” Montgomery said. “Serving in Vietnam was a surreal experience. Most of the time I felt like I was in a movie rather than doing something real. It was just so crazy. I made very close friendships with the guys I served with. I think because everybody starts out the same: Feeling alone, afraid, and needing a friend. So good friends were made easily. Going off to war isn't something I would wish on anyone. But I did make some of the best friendships I've ever had in my life while serving.”

One day while on patrol, Montgomery was moderately wounded when his tank hit a landmine. He called that “a constant worry” while on patrol. 

And then in September of 1970 when he had two months left in Vietnam, Montgomery’s tank was hit in an ambush by a rocket. Dixon suffered extreme shrapnel injuries, which resulted in the loss of his eyesight, along with hearing loss, facial scarring and other injuries all over his body.  

For the next two years, Montgomery went through a series of reconstructive operations and went to a six-month program at the Hines VA Hospital for blind rehabilitation training. It was there that he met a woman named Mary Ann, who later became his wife and the best friend he’s ever had. 

“When I first came home from Vietnam blind with facial scarring, I was afraid I'd probably be spending the rest of my life alone,” Montgomery said. “But Mary Ann and I hit it off from the very first time we met and slowly over several months became close. I ended up marrying her after about two years of being back home. We've enjoyed a wonderful life together. She was always prompting me to move forward and go after some of my dreams.”

After Vietnam, Montgomery returned to Rochelle, where he found a better experience than a lot of veterans of that war did amid the political climate at the time. 

“You often hear about all the horror stories that Vietnam veterans faced when they came home from service, but I was very lucky to come from Rochelle,” Montgomery said. “People back here were very welcoming and supportive of me. They made me feel loved.”

Dixon and Mary Ann welcomed a daughter named Susan who now lives in Manhattan, New York as an actor and playwright. The couple spent time traveling to visit friends and family in Colorado and California. One dream Mary Ann pushed Dixon to pursue was opening a record store. 

“I opened The Great Obispo Record Store here in Rochelle on 6th Street in 1976,” Montgomery said. “Being a huge rock and roll fan myself, playing even some small part in the industry is something I still treasure to this day.”

Montgomery thanked his wife and daughter for their support of him over the years as he dealt with life and the aftermath of his injuries. 

“Mary Ann and Susan have been so important to me in keeping my head together and keeping me propped up when I needed it,” Montgomery said. “Their love and tenderness along with all the love I've received from my many friends within Rochelle makes me feel like a very lucky Vietnam veteran. The support of family and friends is so necessary. To be able to accept that support of family and friends is so necessary.”

Over the years, Montgomery enjoyed visits to RTHS for its annual Veterans Day breakfast and to speak to classes and assemblies. He told stories about Vietnam and showed photos he took while he was there. The support RTHS showed veterans has meant a great deal to Montgomery and he called speaking with students on those days “precious memories.” 

Montgomery, now 75 years old, said speaking to students and local social organizations was cathartic for him. While speaking to the News-Leader on Oct. 31, 2024 with Veterans Day approaching, he remarked that he remembers every Veterans Day breakfast and assembly at RTHS and every phone call he’s gotten from someone thanking him for his service. 

“I've had so many young people come up to me five, 10, 15, or 20 years later and tell me that they remembered me from those assemblies,” Montgomery said. “That's truly gratifying. It seems to me that I have a lot of people thank me for my service all the time. But I feel I have so many people to thank for how I've been treated all these years here in Rochelle. I've never felt like I was abandoned.”

Honoring Our American Hero is a series that will print twice a month in the News-Leader. If you know an American Hero you would like to have featured, contact Jeff Helfrich at jhelfrich@rochellenews-leader.com or call 815-561-2151.